Birds eat Spanish Cherry fruit

 

Spanish Cherry (Mimusops elengi)  Tanjong Tree.Bullet Wood

Pokok Tanjung, Spanish Cherry tree

This tree was planted by a housing developer just 2 meters from my house's perimeter wall. The fruit ripens in July after flowering in April.

Also known as "bullet wood," this is a strong and tough wood. I have pruned it a few times, and even the small branches are hard to cut with a parang. After the fruiting is over, I will give it another prune.

  

Tanjong Tree, Bunga Tanjung or Spanish Cherry (Mimusops elengi)

The fruit is about 2-3 cm in size, yellow-red when ripe.

Yellow-vented foraged in Spanish Cherry tree

Yellow-vented bulbul (pycnonotus goiavier)

I also sported Asian Glossy Starling (Aplonis panayensis strigata) and Javan Myna (Acridotheres javanicus) eating the fruits, but unable to photograph it.

 The fruits are too big to swallow whole, so the bulbul just nibbles the exocarp.

I have documented this bubul eating fucus fruits, Fucus Benjamina  HERE

The bird eats the sweet mesocarp the fleshy middle layer of the pericarp of a fruit.

I collect the dry flower, the half-eaten fruit, and the seeds discarded by the bird.

Temerloh Mosque view from Lotus Lake

Not birding for a long time.
Here are the Temerloh Mosque pictures, that I photographed with a hand-phone during recent Hari Raya

I saw a common garden birds;  a pair of White-breasted Waterhen, a flock Common Myna, Juvenile Oriental Magpie Robin, Asian Glossy Starling on electric cable , Spotted Dove, Tailorbird and Tree Sparrow.

Berjogging di Taman Tasik Temerloh, Taman Bandar Temerloh, TAMAN AWAM KUBANG GAJAH, di belakang Waterpark Kubang Gajah. Berhampiran Masjid Baru Temerloh Bukit Angin. 

Hari Raya Birding at Temerloh -That's MyWorld

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Before the Hari Raya gathering above, I made a quick 2 hours birding trip at the back of Sek. Keb. Kampung Tengah, Temerloh. Wake up early and started walking at 7.00am

The usual back lane gate that I frequent was closed..
Because of this new building construction. This two Indonesian workers have to work even on 2nd Raya Holiday.
I have to take another route in front of the school, and welcome by this yellow carpet of fallen angsana flowers.



A short walk later I reached the Rubber Estate with row of rubber trees. Look like nobody taping it for the past few days.


and noticed the water bottle was cut and used as latex collection pot. Good recycling..





My objective of birding that day was met by a close encounter with this beautiful Banded Woodpecker (Picus miniaceus)

and I was very lucky to witness this natural phenomena - woodpecker mating.
Here, the male jumped on her back...
Shooting Date/Time 22/09/2009 7:26:36am

quickly followed by cloacal contact...
it was all over in less than 8 seconds.
Shooting Date/Time 22/09/2009 7:26:44am
"Hey!.. You, Peeping Tom, why you are looking at us"
Ok, we finished doing it, let make a home for our baby...

and they made their home on dead tree. Both of them take turns digging the hole.

after that woodpecker flew away, I saw this small flock of Black-headed Bulbul(Pycnonotus atriceps) at lifeless tree.

When I tried to have a better look, it flew away.
except for this one which keep on singing...

On my way back, I noticed this Red Grasshawk Dragonfly- (Neurothemis fluctuans) soaking in the morning sun.
and this Warps (Vespa affinis) was having it breakfast on Straits Rhododendron flowers (Melastoma malabathricum).

This the track log that I upload from GPS 60SCx to google earth.

and here the elevation profile and distance covered (on the upper part of  the track).

I warn you NOT to click this Read more button!

Abbott's Babbler

This bird can be easily located with it song, but extremely difficult to photography under that thick bush

Abbott's Babbler (Malacocincla abbotti)

Local name Rimba Riang

Abbott's Babbler song recorded by David Farrow XC19563 , from Xeno-Canto Asia

To hear the bird call, click the play button

Have a look for more bird pictures at the Bird Photography Weekly @ Birdfreak.

Malkoha at Cenderai Tree

I was walking along a small jungle trail one Sunday morning when a bird flew into the bushes of Cenderai tree (Microcos tomentosa). I stopped and try to find it. It was hard to locate in that thick green-orange leaves. The bird stayed motionless with just the head pop-up and perfectly camouflage inside the tree.

Raffles's Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus chlorophaeus) - male

Recordist: David Farrow

Birds of Temerloh

These are the other birds (not lifer) that I found at Temerloh last Sunday.

Black-thighed Falconet (Microhierax fringillarius)

Greater Racquet-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus)

Ashy Tailorbird (Orthotomus sepium)

Blue-throated Bee-eater (Merops viridis)

juvenile

Burung Kambing - Black Magpie

LIFER # 2, birding at Temerloh on Sunday.
When I saw this black bird, my first reaction was - this a Crow. I clicked a few shots when it perched, but the loud call "keh-eh-eh-eh" was not like a crow.
With reference book, I managed to ID this bird:
Black Magpie (Platysmurus leucopterus), Local name Burung Kambing (literally mean Goat Bird). The whole body is black in colour with the distinct white band along the wing. The red eyes are also diagnostic.

Heavily edited version

Non edited version

Black Magpie (Platysmurus leucopterus)
Local name: Burung Kambing, aka Burung Temenggang
Size (cm) 41
Habitat: Forests
Distribution Peninsular Malaysia: Resident (Totally Protected)
Sarawak: Resident
Sabah: Resident (Protected)
Status: Near threatened